Strong, Parker seek votes across county for commission chairman position

View full sizeDale Strong, left, or Wayne Parker, right, will be the first new chairman of the Madison County Commission in 32 years after the Republican primary on March 13. (The Huntsvile Times/Michael Mercier)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Dale Strong, an eighth-generation Madison County developer with farming in his blood, seems at ease in the high-tech world of wing-tip shoes and dark suits, courting votes from executives in Cummings Research Park.

Wayne Parker, the businessman with deep roots in south Huntsville, doesn't seem out of his element talking with farmers among the aisles of seed, grain and fertilizer at the Harvest Feed Mill.

Strong, the four-term Madison County commissioner for rural northwest Madison County, and Parker, the three-time congressional candidate, are both staking out the other's home turf in their campaigns for Madison County Commission chairman.

"We're in the heart of enemy territory," Parker, 52, said, smiling, before hitting the Harvest House restaurant, Harvest Feed Mill and Harvest Youth Club on a recent campaign swing into Strong's commission district.

Strong, addressing about 25 executives from Research Park firms, highlights his record, from the response he led after last year's tornadoes to his push for a hospital in west Madison County.

"I'm a leader," he told the executives at a meet-and-greet at Systems Dynamics Inc.

Strong stresses changes he wants to make as chairman and how he can "think outside the box" to address issues. After 16 years on the commission, he said he knows where money can be saved and improvements made.

Parker emphasizes representing the entire county, promoting the county for economic development, continuing the successes the county has had, and making a few improvements where needed.

Strong set his sights on the job early. He announced his candidacy in September, well before Democratic Chairman Mike Gillespie announced he was retiring after 32 years.

Parker was recruited by Gillespie in late October and didn't announce his intentions until late December.

Strong's early start has helped him raise more than $135,000 for his campaign. But Parker jumped out of the gate fast, with more than $82,000 collected in January alone.

"All we did for the first two weeks was raise money," Parker said.

Greasy spoon to board room

Strong, 41, strides into Big Spring Cafe on Governors Drive on a recent rainy day, shakes a few hands, orders a cheeseburger and fries, does some more politicking, and finds a place on a counter stool.

It so happens that David and Teresa Robinson are occupying the two stools to Strong's left. Strong, a volunteer firefighter with the Harvest-Monrovia Volunteer Fire Department, saved Teresa Robinson's grandmother's life years ago when she went into cardiac arrest, she said.

"You've always got our vote," Teresa Robinson said.

"Forty-one days to the election," Strong said. "It's going to be huge."

Teresa Robinson volunteers to help put out flyers and signs. The Robinsons lost their Lockhart Road home in the April tornado and were moving back that upcoming weekend.

A few minutes later, Strong slipped on his suit jacket and mingled with the executives at a meet-and-greet at Systems Dynamics Inc. in Research Park.

State Rep. Phil Williams, R-Monrovia, introduces Strong. "The need for strong local leaders in this county is greater than ever," Williams said in the introduction.

Williams later added, "I personally believe Dale will be the governor of Alabama one day."

Lunch crowd in Harvest

It's a slow lunch hour at Harvest House restaurant on Wall-Triana Highway as Parker enters the building. He introduces himself to customers on one side of the restaurant, asks for their vote and heads to the other side for a seat.

He discusses campaign issues with a small group as he eats a vegetable plate. He finishes eating, hits a few more tables and has a brief conversation with a retired colonel who served in Vietnam.

At Harvest Feed Mill, Parker encounters several people who are not happy with their commissioner. One jokes that "No one north of (Alabama) 53 knows who Dale Strong is." Others contend that Strong shows preferential treatment to Monrovia to the detriment of Harvest.

Parker told a couple of voters that his campaign signs only arrived the day before. "Well, you can put a big one on my property," a woman told him.

Parker talks to a woman who has moved from Pennsylvania about registering to vote here. Before leaving he explains the commission chairman's job to a young man.

"I think we can win," Parker tells The Times editorial board a week later. "I think the tide's turning quickly on Dale."

The issues

Strong touts his record as commissioner, from delivering services to his district with fewer employees than when he took office in 1996 to pushing for a new hospital in west Madison County to coordinating the response to April's killer tornadoes.

He talks about how his experience and knowledge from serving on the commission would benefit the new members expected to join the commission. At least three of the six commissioners will be new and he expects them to bring new ideas to the commission.

"I offer that stability," Strong said.

Strong expects the upcoming changes on the commission to provide a Republican majority and end the days of Gillespie voting with the other three Democratic commissioners to break a tie.

Parker, who was publicly endorsed by Gillespie, said the public is more concerned about good government than which party controls the commission.

Parker said unnamed county and other officials have told him privately that they support him. They tell him that Strong doesn't work well with others.

"Dale just leaves a wake behind him," Parker said. "It's all about him."

Strong says he wants to grow business by improving county schools, roads and quality of life.

He says he's helped manage the county's $122 million budget by thinking outside the box. For example, he said, his idea to contract out the kitchen operations at the county jail is saving the county $330,000 a year.

"We've got to do more with less," he said.

He said within 100 days of taking office he will propose the commission buy a time management system to control employee overtime and propose to create a county attorney office that will end contracting the job out.

The commission declined to buy and implement a time management system last year on a straight party vote when Gillespie cast the deciding vote in opposition. Strong said the system would save the county at least $385,000 a year.

Strong said the county could save up to $400,000 a year by creating a full-time county attorney. The county would hire an outside lawyer in specialty cases when needed, he said. Huntsville and Madison both have in-house attorneys instead of contract attorneys, he said.

The county last year spent $866,654 on legal fees, including $834,997 with Sirote & Permutt for the county attorney. This year's budget has $700,000 for legal fees.

But, Parker said the county could end up spending more if having a county attorney's office costs as much as Huntsville's city legal department.

Huntsville's in-house legal department has 16 employees and a budget of $1.55 million. It has another $295,000 budgeted for outside legal fees.

"I don't see how you could save the money he's talking about," Parker told The Times editorial board.

Parker said he wants to update the county's technology and implement a less costly time management system than the one the commission rejected last year.

He views the chairman as the chief executive officer for the entire county and the county's ambassador. He said the relationships he's built with local, state and federal officials would help him help the county.

Parker opposes changing to the unit system, in which the rural commissioners would give up their district sheds and workers in favor of a central public works office.

Parker said the commissioners with sheds can respond better to problems in their districts because they have heavy equipment ready to roll out of their district rather than from a central location miles away.

Strong said the unit system is used in about 60 counties and would allow equipment to be shared. He said it could be more productive and save money.

"Madison County knows nothing about the unit system, but I'm willing to look at it," Strong said.

Strong appears not to be inclined to sell the Madison County Water Department to Huntsville Utilities, while Parker said it's something he would consider.

Strong said the department is a "huge asset" worth about $64 million. The department has had problems finding aquifers for water supply, he said. Strong said he would like the county to enter a contract to receive water from Huntsville Utilities after it builds a water treatment plant near Guntersville Dam.

Parker said the county has a lot of leaking water lines and that selling the Water Department "is something I'd certainly be open to."

In response to claims that he favors Monrovia over areas north of Alabama 53 in his district, Strong said he's installed traffic signals and turn lanes wherever they have been needed and could save lives. He said he's worked for tornado sirens, libraries and economic development in the entire district.

"I believe you'll see a response March 13," he said, alluding to the votes he expects to receive in the district's precincts.

Asked what his biggest mistake has been while on the commission, Strong said it was trying to work with the county school board on a new high school to relieve overcrowding at Sparkman High School.

Strong said he voted against a half-cent countywide sales tax increase twice on the commission and once at the polls.

Strong was criticized for trying to get the board to build the school within three miles of two residential developments he had underway, and for not backing the sales tax increase when the school board rejected Strong's recommended site.

Parker said he's "not committed one way or the other" to a half-cent sales tax for county schools.

Both Strong and Parker have something to lose if they win.

Strong, who is a property developer by trade, said he only has a "few lots" left to develop, but would leave the development business if elected chairman.

Parker said he would lose the county's liability insurance account if he wins or if he loses. Parker is an agent with Traveler's Insurance, which holds the county's general liability and vehicle insurance policies. The county paid more than $586,000 for the two policies this year.

Candidate bios

Name: Wayne ParkerAge: 52Occupation: Vice president of Insurance Office of America and owner/manager of commercial real estate entities.Education: Master of International Business, Thunderbird School of Global Management; Bachelor of Science in Economics, Auburn UniversityExperience: Former loan officer with Export Import Bank in Washington, D.C.; former sales manager of the Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau; board member and current president of Lincoln Village Preservation Corporation; member of governor's Affordable Homeowners Insurance Commission; former member of Huntsville Hospital Foundation Development BoardFamily: Wife, Lisa, and four (plus) children, Melissa, Elle, Davis, Riley, and since 2007 Fasil Mulat (from Ethiopia)Campaign website: www.wayneparker.com

Name: Dale Strong Age: 41Occupation: Madison County Commissioner District 4 Education: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Athens State University Experience: Served as Madison County Commissioner of District 4, volunteer firefighter for more than 20 years, served on the capital campaign for the Madison YMCA, member of Huntsville Madison County Leadership Class 11, coaches Little League baseball, member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church and small businessman Family: Married to Laura Strong for 12 years and the father of Whitney, 9, and Harrison, 8.Campaign website: www.dalestrong.com